Mannheim basketball talent Kaj Willms shines in the U16 camp!

Mannheim basketball talent Kaj Willms shines in the U16 camp!

Ciudad Juárez, Mexiko - In the past few days there have been exciting news in the basketball world that particularly affect young talents. An still relatively fresh name attracts a lot of attention: Kaj Willms from Rossendale, Manitoba. At the age of 15, this promising player has already achieved impressive performances in his young career. He not only represented two provincial teams, but also won the Zone 4 AA championship. In the past year and a half he has risen from the ashes like a phoenix and shows a remarkable development that brings him into the drawer of the next basketball stars. According to [Winnipeg Free Press] (https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/basketball/2025/04/hes- just-getting-going) he was recently invited to the training camp of the Canadian U16 National team.

Willms, with its impressive 6 foot 11 inch (approx. 2.11 m) height, most of his teammates overwhelm at the Westpark School. The boy only started playing basketball after the 8th grade, encouraged by his uncle and his coach, Dave Britton. This support has proven to be in the spotlight: In September, Willms was already allowed to take part in the National Team ID Camp of Canada Basketball. In addition, he was invited to a U16 Men’s High Performance National Team Assessment Camp via the Easter weekend in Toronto, where he managed to assert himself against 15 other talented athletes. These successes meant that he was allowed to represent Canada at the Fiba U16 Men’s Americup 2025 in Juárez, Mexico, even if he was not in the final 12-player squad.

an important competition

The Fiba U16 Americup from June 2 to 8, 2025 is an important event at which the best young basketball players from America compete against each other. In addition to Canada, far -reaching nations such as the United States, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Argentina are also on the field. The tournament, which takes place in Ciudad Juárez, offers the top teams the opportunity to qualify for the 2026 FIBA ​​U17 World Cup in Turkey. A highlight of the tournament is the format in which the teams are divided into groups before the top four move into the playoffs. This year, eight nations will take part in the tournament, including Venezuela and Brazil, such as the information from Wikipedia. Team USA is also in excellent form on time for the competition: With an impressive 43-0 record in the history of the tournament, you start as favorites. The US youth team, which consists of players in the 2027 and 2028 classes, is led by Head Coach Scott Fitch and his assistant coaches. A total of 18 players fight for a place in the team, including names like Nasir Anderson, Beckham Black and many more, such as ZAG’s Blog.

look into the future

Although Willms could not be part of the final squad this year, he sees the experience as a big step in his development. He focuses on continuing to improve his offensive skills and dreams of playing NCAA Division I basketball in the USA one day. His trainer Dan Becker puts great hopes in him and emphasizes Willms ’aggressiveness as well as his rebound and final strength on the basket. His skills in the throw have not been unnoticed either. The U17 provinced team, with which Willms continues to train, is also looking forward to its further growth.

Overall, Kaj Willms is an example of how quickly promising talents can develop in basketball. At the end of the day there is hope that one day we will see him in the NHL or at large international tournaments. The basketball community in Canada can look forward to the next few years, and we will certainly focus on this young player.